Non-Self (무아)

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Non-Self
[All Things Lack Inherent Identity] 무아

“Non-self” means “that which is not the
self,” or “that which does not have a self.” It can also mean that “things do
not have an inherent substantial self.” The theory of non-self negates all thoughts
of "me, my, or mine." To think that something is “mine” or belongs to
“me” is a deluded attachment to the self. Practitioners must extinguish these
kinds of deluded attachments above all else. To regard something as “one’s own”
is a wrong perception. In fact, there is nothing that can be regarded as one’s
own. Therefore, the exposition “All things lack inherent identity” means that
all things in the world have arisen dependent upon causes and conditions and
that there is no true substance of self which does not change.

“Form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness are
all impermanent. And what is impermanent is suffering. What is suffering is
non-self. What is non-self is to see things as they are with correct wisdom by realizing,
'This is not mine, this is not me, and this is not my self.'"

-Majjhima Nikàya

- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 2) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​​